


Tricks & Treats

by a_quick_drink



Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Genre: Cooking Competition, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-16
Updated: 2015-05-16
Packaged: 2018-03-30 20:20:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3950401
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_quick_drink/pseuds/a_quick_drink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a friendly Halloween bake-off until Kelly plays dirty...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tricks & Treats

_C'mon, Irish, you’re not afraid of a little competition are you?_

Of course he wasn’t, which was how Nick found himself roped into an impromptu Halloween cooking contest. It would be him and Kelly against two teams of their friends: Ty and Zane, and Digger and Owen. Or at least that’s how they assumed it would go until they arrived at the studio used as the site for cooking classes. Instead, they were required to draw names for their partner to keep things fair.

When it was his turn, Nick pulled a slip of paper from the offered bowl and eyed his companions. Friendly competition his ass. There was no such thing as fair with these guys and they all knew it. Zane might be okay, but Sidewinder was a different story, Kelly being the most devious. If his lover’s name was not on that piece of paper, Nick’s team didn’t stand a chance. He unfolded the paper and swore. Zane. A chorus of groans sounded as everyone else opened their slips of paper. They separated into groups, grumbling as they accepted their recipes and went to their stations to read the sheets they’d received.

The contest was simple: each team got the same basic cake recipe and had to put their own twist on it. The only rule being candy had to somehow be in the final product. They would have two hours to bake and decorate their creations, and would then get judged based on taste and appearance. Not much of a challenge considering he and Zane could do this kind of thing with their eyes closed.

While they brainstormed ideas, Nick glanced at the other teams. At the station to their left, Ty and Owen were squabbling over something, the words ‘Dr. Pepper’ and 'gummi bears’ the only things Nick could make out. Kelly and Digger were on their right, heads together and wicked grins on their faces as they chattered and gestured. Kelly caught his gaze and winked, pushing away from the counter and sauntering into the back room that served as the pantry.

Nick watched Kelly for a long second before he finally tore his gaze away and licked his lips. “I’ll go grab the dry ingredients.”

Zane looked between him, Kelly and Digger’s station, and then back. His lips twitched into a knowing smirk. “Make it quick,” he said, waving Nick away.

Nick prepared for an ambush the moment he set foot in the pantry, and Kelly didn’t disappoint. Hands grabbed at his shirt and yanked him around the corner. Kelly peered up at him through a fringe of lashes, blue and green marbled eyes fixing him in place. “And what brings you here?” Kelly quipped. He wrapped his arms around Nick’s neck and pulled him down for a kiss.

Rather than answer, Nick backed Kelly into one of the metal shelving units and deepened the kiss. If Kelly planned on seducing him into making a mistake, well, two could play that game. Kelly gasped in surprise, though it sounded more like a moan as he arched into Nick. He coaxed Kelly’s tongue into play, working him into a needy frenzy before stepping away. Kelly stared at him, dazed, fingers curled around the shelves to keep himself upright.

Nick walked around the middle row of shelves and pulled a container down. “Just needed some sugar,” he said with a wink, waving the container so Kelly could see.

“I’m not sweet enough for you?” Kelly asked as he pushed away from the shelving and sauntered toward Nick. A soft smile curled his lips, mischief glimmering in his eyes. Nick recognized that look. He would pay for not finishing what he started. Maybe not any time soon, but Kelly would get him back. Spectacularly.

Kelly stepped close and pressed a finger to his chest, drawing an invisible line down to Nick’s waistband. When Nick inhaled sharply, Kelly smirked and walked away, leaving Nick alone in the pantry to catch his breath. He finally gathered the remaining items and hurried back to their station where Zane was waiting, arms crossed, irritating grin still plastered on his face. He kept silent, though, and took some of the items from Nick’s arms and set them on the counter. They tied on their aprons and got to work.

As they measured ingredients and dumped them into various bowls, the sound of Owen’s voice drew Nick’s attention.

“I am not wearing that,” Owen growled, batting away the frilled apron in Ty’s hand. It was dark blue with white polka dots, which wouldn’t have been that bad except it was trimmed in ruffles. The rest of the aprons were a basic black.

“Oh come on,” Ty tried, “It was the only one left. You’ll look pretty.”

“No.”

“You got something against being pretty?” Ty teased. Kelly and Digger drummed their hands against the counter, hooting and hollering at Owen like a pair of depraved hyenas. Owen’s face reddened from the unwanted attention. Zane huffed a laugh at the antics but kept working.

When Owen still refused to put on the apron, Nick watched Ty dip his free hand into a bowl of flour and flick his fingers at Owen, dusting him in white powder. Owen glared at him and Ty dusted him a second time. “Would you stop that?” Another dusting.

Nick shook his head in amusement. “Just put the damn thing on already. Nobody cares.”

Owen shot him a glare but finally relented, snatching the apron from Ty and putting it on. As he did, something made a clicking sound, and Nick turned to see Kelly holding up his smartphone to take pictures. Scowling in disapproval, Owen flipped him off.

The hour passed without further event as they all focused on their cakes. For their own, he and Zane had decided on a spice cake with pumpkin frosting, garnished with the pumpkin spice Hershey Kisses Zane had found among the assortment of candy choices. Easy enough to make yet impressive looking, and it would definitely taste good. The same couldn’t be said for the cakes taking shape at the other stations.

The layers of Ty and Owen’s cake were misshapen, held together with white frosting in a precarious stack. Owen smeared gobs of frosting on the outside, followed by Ty who carefully arranged gummi bears over the entire thing. Assuming they played it safe and made a basic white cake, it would at least taste okay even if it looked like a toddler decorated it. Whatever Kelly and Digger made would be a different story. That there were no M&Ms in sight surprised Nick; that there was a blow torch in Digger’s hand, not surprising at all. What were those two up to? Most surprising, though, was that their cake actually looked quite nice, stacked well and covered in swirls of dark chocolate frosting. No decorations, although he supposed that’s what the blow torch was for. 

While Zane covered their cake with frosting, Nick busied himself with unwrapping the Kisses. Together they ringed the top of the cake with the candy. All that was left now was judging.

Each team set their cake on the judging table and then hovered nearby as two women and one man took their seats at the table. One of the women was a local chef who frequently participated in these events, the other an instructor at the cooking school. The man was both owner and instructor, and had way too much interest in Kelly as far as Nick was concerned. Then again, Kelly wasn’t exactly helping matters since he was the one winking at the guy. _That little shit._

The results of the judging were unexpected to say the least. Kelly and Digger’s chocolate-chili cake won for both taste and creativity, the latter not just because of the flavor but also the edible scorpions encased in amber sugar on top. Ty and Owen got second because, while it may not have looked the best, you couldn’t go wrong with plain vanilla. The judges had politely awarded his and Zane’s third, although the grimaces on their faces indicated even that was too nice. 

Confused, he and Zane grabbed forks and took a bite, immediately spitting out the cake. He tasted a hint of the spices and sweetness, but the cake itself was salty, as if the copious amount of sugar the recipe called for was replaced with salt. He looked to Zane, who only shrugged in confusion. He’d been in charge of the frosting which tasted fine.

Nick dipped a spoon into the sugar container and tasted, cringing as the salt granules dissolved on his tongue and nearly made him gag. What the hell? The label on the container said the contents were sugar. Upon closer inspection he noticed a corner of the clear label was curling, like it’d been peeled away at some point. On purpose. 

“What’s the matter, babe?” Kelly was looking at him, the guilt written clearly on his handsome face. The gleam in his eyes, though, said he was enjoying every minute and was not in the least bit sorry.

“You are in so much trouble.”

Kelly flung his arms around Nick’s neck, humming. “How much trouble?”

“You’ll find out when we get home.”

Kelly pouted. “I have to wait that long?”

“Oh, that’s not the only thing you’re going to be waiting for.”


End file.
